Beyond the Mountains
by ofshoyos
Summary: In the world of where dragons are despised and hunted down for their ferocity, it won't be easy for Midoriya Izuku to turn the tables when the world seems to be against him. / As inspired by the tale of How to Train Your Dragon.
1. Prologue

It started with a morning and fragments of a delicate scent that hovered above him. The sun has yet to set however, that was not much to be concerned of as it was rather more a relief. It was reassuring because if anything, that only meant there was enough time for him to get a head start and reach a certain place before a particular event in mind could start.

Midoriya remained to fidget in his seat and munching on a piece of toast. His gaze would trail every now and then to read the clock that was hung up on the wall, a bud of unease underneath the pad of his chest slowly coming to a sprout as the secondhand continues to tick by. _Tick tock, tick tock—_ the sound taunted him through the whole time he sat at the table, and it made Midoriya to fasten the tap of his fingers on his notepad as he grew more and more impatient with every second passing by.

 _Eight o'clock._ Few seconds more to eight o'clock, and it's— ... **eight o'clock!**

Without any further ado, he jumped out of his seat and instantly went to rush outside. That is, of course, not before receiving a shout so alike to a reprimand from his mother inside.

"Izuku!" He flinched at the abruptly loud tone, pausing by the frame of the exit as he had already his back hunched over to get his shoes on.

"Are you going to watch the ceremony again?"

He gulps down thickly. The ceremony. It was an event where they, the dragon fighters, had come to retrieve an medal of honor. They're not just some dragon fighters, they are **the** dragon fighters; they were the **heroes** who have protected this town from the calamity that is said to be wreaked by the dragons. There was this one particular fighter that Midoriya had looked up to for a long time, a fighter who helped to plant a trace of hope within him as a big smile is traced upon his visage.

"Yes." He answers without meeting the gaze of his mother, and when he hears a collective sigh behind, he felt slightly guilty because they both know that once he sets his mind onto something, it isn't easy for him to simply give it up. Only slightly.

"... Promise me to be careful on your way there, okay?" His mother muttered and Midoriya had turned to her with a broad smile decorating his lips.

"I will." He replied, his tone hinted with one that said of gratitude and a silent phrase of _'Thank you'_ underlying that promise of his to be safe. With his shoes worn and his book tightly held close to him, he sets out and ready to head for the ceremony.

* * *

Dragons had long existed since the old age— even now, in the modern era.

Despite the technology that the world has to offer to help in ceasing them, they remain to exist and reproduce but it's not just that, some of them were overwhelmingly strong. The dragons often were the cause of disasters that sported in the cities and in order to resolve the issue, the association of dragon fighters were created. Some dragons were tiny and categorized as a low-rank which usually meant that it won't wreak as much havoc— and then, there were the monstrously huge dragons that could be proven a difficult feat to defeat them. The issue was then left to the higher ranking of dragon fighters to tackle it down while the people were evacuated.

After all, the bigger the dragon, the more dangerous it could be and the more it could spell for a huge disaster.

 _Killing dragons was everything here._

Midoriya watched as a medal was given to one of the fighters, a twinkle of excitement glinted in his eyes once he realized that it was none other than Mount Lady. He so happened to witness the scene of her battle by pure luck, her strength was endearing and her movements were fluid but by judging on the size of her weapon, he deducted that even its use could be limited. Mind you, he himself had this taken down these points in his notepad along with the other pages filled of his observation on the other fighters.

His grip on the book tightened when an image of All Might flashes through his mind.

... _And he dreams to be a dragon fighter, one day._


	2. i

Midoriya surveyed the printed words and pictures as he deftly skims through the pages of his book. Lips puckered, and creases of wrinkles forming atop of his head, he had long shifted most of his focus into mouthing the information as written on the papers in hopes that he would be able to remember them- just in case he needs it sometime in the future.

For the past few days, he packed his schedule into one consisted of cramped studying. It was solely done for the purpose of this day, and today was the day where he would alas become one of them. Physical assertion never did lie in his forte, but that was a given due to his scrawny-like figure. Even so, he at least went through a couple of practices that may help him in building up his strength and stamina since in a way, it is a requirement. After all, in order to be one of the proclaimed heroes, such practice is clearly inevitable.

Seemingly satisfied with his revision, Midoriya closed the cover to his book afterwards and looked up.

 _The entrance examination to the U.A is finally here._

He stares at the building before him in both astonishment and apprehension, and he can't help but twitch his fingers in nervousness. It's here, he's here and he's finally here. This is it- he was about to be one step closer to his dream!

Glancing around, he begins to observe the people brushing past by him. Most of them were noteworthy and looked formidable, but that isn't just the case. What mainly hits him was the fact that he was going to compete against these people and they all came here, wishing to achieve the same goals everyone else has in mind.

It was going to be tough, he tells himself. Even so, this was no time for him to waver and mull over a scary thought. Heaving a deep intake of breath, he takes a step forward and-

"Watch out!"

But he never did get to take a step forward because he was already frozen in his tracks when one's thought was voiced out and directed at him. Blinking a few times, Midoriya throws a questioning gaze to the side until his eyes widened at the sight of a female gaping at him in concern. The girl rushed to him immediately, taking the brunet by the arm and gently guiding him along the way because god knows why she did that.

"U-um?" He stuttered, unable to form any coherent sentence because honestly, at this very moment, his brain couldn't function much.

"You were about to trip." She replied, her brows drawn into a taut arch which implied of her worry. "I'm not sure if you noticed but um, you almost stepped on a banana peel."

Oh... A banana peel?

"O-oh?" Midoriya released a laughter akin to one of embarrassment. It was understandable, after all. This girl ( and whatmore, a person whom he had never met once ) was concerned for him because she believed that he might fall after stepping on a banana peel? A trace of gratitude swells underneath the pad of his chest at the thought of someone who has no relations to him being concerned for him. It's been a while since that last happened to him.

"I'm sorry that was sudden?" The girl then slackened her grip on his arm before she could take a withdraw. "I thought I should help you since..."

"Ah, no! I- it's completely fine!" He tries to reassure her, hands ghastly waved around in frantic circular motions. "Thanks to you, I didn't end up stepping on it and possibly fall and then w-wellー otherwise, I would have embarrassed myself!"

They both stared at each other for a long while under the silence. Like colorful petals bloomed, he feels his cheeks reddening when a bright smile begins to decorate the maiden's lips and it had taken him a good few seconds to realize that he was talked to while being caught up in a daze.

"... I'm sorry?"

"My name is Uraraka Ochako," She repeated herself, "And you are?"

Uraraka. He'll make sure to keep that name in mind. Nodding in response, the boy instantly stood upright; and with that said, it was quite obvious that he had faltered to realize how awkward and rigid his posture was at that time. Not that he did particularly care. "My name is Midoriya Izuku! It's a great pleasure to meet you." He politely bowed to her.

"It's nice to meet you too." Uraraka continued to sweetly smile at him. "I presume that you're here to take the entrance exam as well?"

At that question, there was no more of an obvious answer than it was when the light on Midoriya's features morphed into an expression of excitement mingled with determination. He nods again, feels his grip tightening on his notepad and the mixed feelings as prior had struck him once more without any warning in advance.

"Yeah," He licked his lips in anticipation before settling on biting them softly.

"I'm hereー _to become a fighter!"_

The last exclamation might have came out a little too loud than intended. It wasn't long until a couple stares were thrown at his way, and he'd lie if he were to say that he didn't feel an ounce or a prickle of their judgmental gaze at all. There were few whispers made among their comrades, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He isn't going to let the same thing that he's already been told plentiful of tines to get underneath his skin deep. Although he had to admit, his heart did ache slightly at the memory of the amount of taunts he received throughout the years in his previous school.

Uraraka, on the other hand, gawked at him but hers was done purely out of amazement. The fire set in the boy's eyes... it was no doubt that he was serious about this matter. In a way, it made her felt competitive as well and before she could become aware of it, she was nodding furiously in agreement to the former's phrase.

"Okay. We can do this!" She pumped her fist. Midoriya wholeheartedly agreed with her actions. They both went together on the way, but of course, not before Midoriya took a glimpse of a familiar silhouette not far from him; one that has taken a shape of his childhood friend.

* * *

The examination was tough. The written papers for him were mostly fine since he spent a lot of his time into studying detailsー but the part that has gotten him worried the most was the physical examination. He was weak, he had already known that. He gained nothing, he did **nothing** and worst of all, sixty percent of the grading were based on the scores he obtained from the physical examination.

He absolutely did not score any marks in the said test. The others were too fast and too strong; the difference between their abilities and his was completely overwhelming. He tries to hit the targets but to his dismay, the targets were moving, larger than him and made of steel. Since the beginning of the second phase, it was already a lost cause for him and he knows what to expect but that doesn't mean he can't help and not hope.

A week later, Midoriya thickly swallows the lump in his throat. His nameー where was his name? He scans through the results which was no more than a list of names whom succeeded to gain an entry into the school. From the root of the list to the tips of its hair, and to no avail, he did not manage to find his name.

He felt his heart dropped, the noises from his surroundings tuned out from his ears as he realized what this meant. Of course, it was expected, it had to be expected. As he heard the sounds of cries of happiness and cheers, he could only hear the shatter of his heart as it breaks into pieces. To find his name not on the list of the passing candidates could only mean one thing.

He failed the entrance exams.

"Hey, you shit fucking nerd."

That voice, it was one Midoriya had known all too well. When he shifts his gaze sideways, he expected to see a smug smirk plastered on one's face but no, instead, what he sees was an expression plated of pure hatred and vexation as clear as the sky in his eyes.

"From the looks of it, you didn't pass. Not that I'm surprised but wasn't that fucking obvious since the beginning?" Bakugou scoffs, furrowing his brows. "You? A dragon fighter? You best become a food stock for the dragons if all you're going to do is get in the fucking way. Give the fuck up already."

Suddenly, the aim he tried to accomplish seemed more far than it ever was.

It should have been expected, really. He was scrawny, he was weak, and heck, he can't even lift a lumber of woods for a solid minute nor could he run a hundred meter in less than twenty seconds. In the last examination, he did nothing but run around like a scared mouse. He made no attempts to attack a target, all he had been doing was dodging the attacks of those machines. His marks in the written papers may be above mediocre but in terms of overall grade, he ultimately got a failing grade in his exams.

He felt **bummed**. Why would he not feel bummed? He was truly looking forward to it at the time, the opportunity that was lost from him was one thing he had constantly looked to since the beginning. Albeit the possibility was on a silver line, his faith never did waver. Midoriya truly believed that he could do it, he truly believed that he would be able to break the boundaries and prove to the people who doubted him if he had enough passion and kept trying.

But now, with the way how things were, even the path to fulfill his dreams of becoming a dragon fighter seemed to be paved with thorns.

A blank stare set ahead, he returns to reread the list of names.

Bakugou Katsuki.

.

Uraraka Ochako.

ーーーー **CREAK!**

"Izuku? Where are you going?"

Caught. And emerged from the shadows behind was none other than his mother.

His hand on the knob lingers and for the umpteenth time, Midoriya stays rooted to his spot. He didn't have to turn back to know what kind of expression his mother made, and for that reason, he refused to turn. He could feel her gaze piercing onto the back of his body, and he knows that if he turns, he'd see a plea of desperation swimming in her eyes.

"... Please don't tell me. You're not going to go practice again, are you?" He hears her whisper beneath her breath. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

But for now, Midoriya is going to pretend a make-believe. He pretends that he didn't hear her, he'll pretend that the examination results never did come outー but there's one thing which bothered him. It was so early in the morning and he can't help but wonder. How did his mother find out of his little secret when he has been trying so hard to be keep it concealed? How is it that his mother know what time he would go whenever he decides to head out and never fail to catch him no matter how hard he tries?

That must be it. It doesn't matter if he tries his best. In the end, it was just never enough.

Perhaps it had something to do with an unfortunate luck, or perhaps this was the call of his cruel fate as he was born as quite a sick baby. It's ironic how even since his birth, the world was already being harsh to him. With no more words ensued, Midoriya left the apartment or as so he called it home.

But even so... Giving up? Midoriya has no idea how does that thing work.

* * *

It was after sometime the incident when it happened. Who would have expected this to happen? No one, not even Midoriya himself who had long been a fanatic of dragon hunting since he was a child.

Midoriya was at home around that time while his mother went out to buy some groceries. He lied on his bed, his gaze adamantly stuck on the ceiling like he was having some sort of a staring contest. He was just there, thinking about how long had it been since his entrance examination and if he had to be completely honest, it wasn't even a whole month yet since his entry. He thinks about his dream, about All Might whose heroic deeds served as a big inspiration to him and a reminder that he is ought not to give up even in desperate times. There were many things to think about as a cloud of silence hangs above his head but it wasn't too long until he falls asleep.

Only to be awakened sometime later on by the loud sirens blaring from the outside.

"Sirens?" He perked up at the constantly ringing noise. How long had those sirens sounded? "Wait, if those are sirens then... this means... E-evacuation?!"

His suspicions were confirmed. By the time he reaches to open the window of his room, loud sirens could be heard to blare throughout the town and he feels his face paled at the knowledge. Usually, when loud sirens were rung, that means an evacuation needs to be promptly carried out and that in return, it means a large scale of crisis was happening.

 _Swish!_

"G-guah?!"

The sudden sound of wings fluttering threw Midoriya off guard, and that was the moment when he knows that yes, he needs to get out of there and fast.

Door open, shuffling feet, shrieks and screams heard from a distance, crinkling fires and thick smoke, and soon enough the city was enshrouded in chaos. Dragons, there was too many of them; some sliced through the air, some were on the groundー some were small and some were big. But the worst part is that these dragons, Midoriya thinks as he observes and runs to a place to hide, were the same creatures he had read about in the books and marked as **dangerous**.

As these beasts continued to wreak havoc, few critical damages were already done to the residential area as they clung their claws onto the building and breathed fire, ice, or whichever powers they so happened to possess.

 _'W-waitー why are there so many dragons?! Where is everyone else?!'_ was the thought that comes yo mind when Midoriya tries to take it all. It didn't occur to him at first but eventually, he managed to recall at least a bit of information where there were times when dragons would come in large groups and attack in order to gather food. But that was the problem. Although this has been going on for the longest time than one could remember, he wondersー why would it attack a large city in search of food? And now that he thinks about it, sometimes, the dragons didn't even gather any food, they just... come and release their wrath upon the humans then leave just like that.

It came too soon. The hordes of dragons wasn't supposed to attack the city at this time, according to the prediction made. More often than not, the predictions had been accurate and the city had constantly been kept safe due to the foreseen disaster but now, as the large scale attack was unexpected, that too could mean the city was slightly a bit less than unprepared.

All in all, one could say that city soon turned into a huge bundle of **mess**.

Midoriya spurts out a fit of coughs as he walks through the thick black smoke. It was difficult to see, it was difficult to move around without bumping into something but most of all, it was difficult for him to breathe as the cloudy substance was particularly the one to be blamed for his small choking fits that sprouted now and then.

The sirens were still blaring, few gurgling noises were sounded that made Midoriya had to pause where he stands a few times. Truthfully, the whole ordeal made him felt incredibly anxious inside. His heart erratically thrums against the cage of his ribs, the only sound he could listen to was the panicking thoughts running throughout his mind. He felt so incredibly nauseous, because no, this can't be real.

Where was everyone? How about his mother? Was she fine? Just how long did he sleep when the chaos of this destruction occurred? It was at this moment when he curses silently upon realizing that he had left his phone behind, and because of that, he'll need to find where the others were evacuated to and get out of there, and he needs to do it fast. Manually. Even though something inside of him screamed to help fight those dragons away, he himself was aware that the outcome of his survival will be unlikely.

Coughing violently, Midoriya soon drops down to his knees and stays in that position. He tries to take in a little breath in this thick cloud of smoke, and tries to make an outline out of it. Alas, all he could make out of it were the wrecked rooftops, smashed parts of buildings, and a clear pathwayー a pathway!

Determined, he stands up to his feet and immediately made a run for it, fresh air greeting his lungs when he leaps forward and out of the cloudy zone. Now that's done, he just has toー

 **CRASH!**

"...?!"

Startled, the boy instantly leaped back and stares at the area at whatever it was that has crushed into it. He could only stir up a few possibilities; and the worst thing that he could presume is a dragon. But of all things, a person to be crashed into a pitch of damaged blocks lied was something that he least expect. He sees them slowly rising up to a stand, he couldn't exactly make out their appearance but by the time he did, he made three discoveries:

 **1)** It was a _he._ **2)** He has an oddly equally split mismatched hair; white and... _is that red?_ **3)** The boy seems to be around his age and he was directly staring _at him._

"You. What are you doing here?" Flinching at the rather cold yet strangely calm tone, Midoriya could only do naught but stare back at him dumbfounded.

"You're not supposed to be here. You have to get out of here andー" However, the halfie did not get to finish his words. He was thrown again before he had the chance and truthfully, the whole scene almost made Midoriya go weak at his knees when he witnessed him being thrown away like he was some kind of a rag doll. He was about to go after him, to help him up and possibly bring them to the evacuation shelter but the moment he takes a step forward, another figure appeared.

But it wasn't a human this time that stepped into view, but a worst case scenario that he just so happened to envision earlierー a dragon. And it was just not any dragon.

Pitch black scales slowly turning itself into another color, its true color soon revealed to be a shade ranging from forest green to tealー a mixture of colors brooded of green shades laced with mingles of blue. The dragon wasn't big nor was it small but despite its size, Midoriya knew it was no ordinary dragon when he witnessed the true revealing of its scales.

With large wings that are said to be able to slice through any object and a tail that could create strong winds, they serve as a purpose to protect the small body the dragon so happened possessed; it was the dragon renowned for its destructive power, one that never shows themselves and hides in the darkness.

 _One-for-all._


End file.
